Results of caloric and sensory organization testing of dynamic posturography in migrainous vertigo: comparison with Meniere's disease and vestibular neuritis

Abstract

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that migrainous vertigo (MV) has a substantial vestibulo-spinal abnormality that can be uncovered by posturography. Patients with MV also showed a difficulty in using multisystem information, especially somatosensory information. Caloric and sensory organization tests (SOTs) have complementary roles in assessing vestibulo-ocular and vestibulo-spinal function, particularly for Meniere's disease (MD) and MV. Objectives: To compare vestibular dysfunction through caloric testing and posturography in patients with MV, MD, and acute vestibular neuritis (VN). Methods: Caloric tests and SOTs were performed in 31 patients with MV, 23 with MD, and 37 with VN. The abnormal results in caloric test, SOT conditions, and somatosensory, visual, and vestibular ratios were analyzed. Results: Abnormal canal paresis was found in 7 patients with MV (23%), 11 with MD (48%), and 37 with VN (100%). An abnormal vestibular ratio in SOT was found in 14 patients with MV (45%), 6 with MD (26%), and 23 with VN (62%). In MV, an abnormal vestibular ratio was more common than canal paresis and an abnormal vestibular ratio was more common than in MD. An abnormal somatosensory ratio (19%) in MV was significantly more common than in VN and MD (3% and 0%). For condition 2, MV showed a significantly higher abnormal rate than VN. An abnormal visual ratio in MV was more common than in VN and MD but this was not significant.

Keywords::

• Vestibulo-spinal abnormality
• canal paresis
• SOT
• somatosensory ratio
• postural stability

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant (2012-519) from the Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Seoul, Korea.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.